Former U.S. President Donald Trump presented a document ranking himself above several of history's most powerful leaders during a CNN interview [1].

The interaction provides a rare glimpse into how the former president perceives his own historical legacy and his standing relative to global figures. This self-assessment comes as authors promote a new book titled *Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump* [1].

During the discussion, Trump sat with journalist Anderson Cooper and authors Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan [1]. The former president handed the interviewers a physical document that explicitly placed him above other prominent historical leaders [1].

The document served as a focal point for a conversation regarding Trump's view of his influence and the nature of his presidency. While the specific names of the leaders listed below him were not detailed in the summary of the exchange, the act of providing a written ranking suggests a calculated effort to define his own legacy [1].

This presentation occurred amidst broader discussions about the imperial nature of the presidency as explored in the new book [1]. The interview highlighted a contrast between Trump's internal metrics of success and the external critiques provided by historians and journalists, a tension central to the authors' work [1].

Reports on the interview have varied in their interpretation of the event. While the CNN recording shows Trump ranking himself highly, other interpretations of his historical standing have appeared in opinion pieces [1].

“Trump handed the interviewers a document that ranked himself above several of history’s most powerful leaders”

The use of a written document to quantify historical standing suggests that Donald Trump views his legacy not as a matter of subjective interpretation, but as a measurable rank. By presenting this to journalists, he is attempting to preemptively shape the historical record and assert a level of influence that rivals or exceeds the most significant figures in global history.